Implanted medical devices, such as pacemakers or other cardiac rhythm management devices, often require that a lead be implanted within the body of a patient to connect the device with a specific portion of the patient's body, such as the heart. Minimally invasive techniques have been developed to permit these such leads to be implanted within the patient's body. One example of such a minimally invasive technique is to utilize a guide catheter, requiring only a relatively small incision at the insertion site.
Once the implanted lead has been positioned with the patient's body, the guide catheter needs to be removed from the lead. Often, the guide catheters include an outer sheath made of a reinforced material, such as a polymeric substrate with a steel mesh or reinforcing structure supporting the substrate. Such reinforced materials may be difficult to cut and may cause the cutter to bind, preventing the smooth removal of the catheter from about the lead and the withdrawal of the catheter from the patient's body.
Improvements to the tools and techniques used to remove a guide catheter from about a lead and from the patient's body are desirable.